- [countable] a long, hollow pipe made of metal, plastic, rubber, etc., through which liquids or gases move from one place to another
- He had to be fed through a feeding tube for several months.
- She poured the liquid down the tube.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fine
- narrow
- thin
- …
- down a/the tube
- in a/the tube
- into a/the tube
- …
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- [countable] a hollow object in the shape of a pipe or tube
- the cardboard tube from the centre of a toilet roll
- I put the poster back into its tube.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fine
- narrow
- thin
- …
- down a/the tube
- in a/the tube
- into a/the tube
- …
- [countable] a long, narrow container made of soft metal or plastic, with a lid (= cover), used for holding thick liquids that can be forced out of it by pressing
- tube (of something) a tube of toothpaste
- a tube of glue
- (Australian English, informal) a can of beer
- a tube of lager
- [countable] a part inside the body that is like a tube in shape and through which air, liquid, etc. passes
- bronchial tubes
- The oesophagus is the tube leading from the throat to the stomach.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fine
- narrow
- thin
- …
- down a/the tube
- in a/the tube
- into a/the tube
- …
- (also The Tube™)[singular] (British English) the underground railway system in London
- on the tube I often travel on the tube
- by tube We came by tube.
- a tube station/train
- She caught the wrong tube (= tube train).
British/American underground / subway / metro / tubeunderground / subway / metro / tube- A city’s underground railway system is usually called the underground (often the Underground) in British English and the subway in North American English. Speakers of British English also use subway for systems in American cities and metro for systems in other European countries. The Metro is the name for the systems in Paris and Washington, D.C. London’s system is often called the Tube.
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by bus and trainc2- I bumped into him on the tube.
- I had to cram myself into a packed tube carriage.
- my tube journey to work
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- London
- catch
- go on
- take
- …
- line
- network
- station
- …
- by tube
- on the tube
- the tube[singular] (North American English, informal) the televisionTopics TV, radio and newsc2
- (North American English) (British English grommet)[countable] a small tube placed in a child’s ear in order to drain liquid from it when there is an infection
pipe
container
part of body
underground railway
television
in ear
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from French tube or Latin tubus.
Idioms
See tube in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee tube in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishgo down the tube/tubes
- (informal) (of a plan, company, situation, etc.) to fail
- The education system is going down the tubes.
Check pronunciation:
tube